I coordinate garden activities for my son’s school and this will be a great project for kids to study sunlight patterns. Even if someone outside the school has to build the device (hard to tell if the teachers can work the construction into the students’ schedule), the students will get something out of studying the data. Can’t wait!

I realize that this is only a very small step towards a larger goal……. but at this stage it’s about as impressive as it is unimpressive. Once they get to the point where this thing can move at 28+ MPH in a dynamic environment I’ll be officially 100% impressed. Until then we have something that can move much faster on a predefined flat surface and its called a wheel.

I do look forward to some future date when I can go to a museum and look at something like this and thing “Wow, this was the progenitor of (insert robotics standard)”.

This brings back fond memories of using a DAC board in a HP 2114B to draw tie-fighters on my dad’s oscilloscope as a kid — because all the cool computers had video screens, but we were stuck with just a teletype. That clock rocks!

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In addition to being an online editor for MAKE Magazine, Michael Colombo works in fabrication, electronics, sound design, music production and performance (Yes. All that.) In the past he has also been a childrens’ educator and entertainer, and holds a Masters degree from NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program.